[TIP] How to install Clockworkmod Recovery (detailed instructions)

Moderator Edit 12/8/12
Do not use this this method twrp is officially supported for the one x. Download goo manager from the market or check the dev section.

It is not my intention to step on the toes of other people who have been more than helpful when it comes to questions relating to the installation of this or that.

Although I am reasonably familiar with many of the installation procedures when it comes to ROMs and Kernels, including Clockworkmod Recovery, etc., I am still a bit hesitant because I simply want to make sure that I am not making a mistake. After all, we spend lots of money on our phones, and the slightest error can be permanent.

I respect and admire all the developers who work tirelessly to make our lives a little bit better, and who often fulfill our ongoing need to “fiddle” with our phones. Thank you!

That being said, here is a detailed explanation of how to install Clockworkmod Recovery.

First, your bootloader must be unlocked. It doesn’t matter if you have the “TAMPERED” entry; this procedure will still work. Second, you must also have all necessary mobile phone drivers installed, including ADB, ADB drivers, and fastboot. From this point forward, I will call all these files your “Fastboot” files. If you don’t have these files, you can download them by clicking on the link at the end of this post.

At this point I’m assuming you’ve placed your Fastboot files in a separate folder within the root directory of your PC (the “C” drive?). I put these files in a folder called fastboot, but it really doesn’t matter, as long as you remember the location.

Here’s an image from my Windows Explorer screen to give you an idea of what I did:

So, here we go …

Download the Clockworkmod Recovery image file and change the name to CWM.img. This is an easy name to remember, which will help further along in these instructions.

Place your newly-named CWM.img file in the directory where your Fastboot files are located.

Power down your device.

While holding VOLUME DOWN, press and hold the POWER button for a few seconds. Continue to hold VOLUME DOWN until your bootloader screen appears.

Using your VOLUME keys, make sure FASTBOOT is highlighted, and then press the POWER button once.

You should now be in the FASTBOOT Bootloader screen. On my ONE X, and I’m assuming the same for everyone, the word FASTBOOT will be highlighted with a RED background. Either way, it should be highlighted.

Connect device to your PC via USB cable.

If all is going well, the word FASTBOOT should now say FASTBOOT USB. From this point forward, do not touch the device.

Open a Command Prompt window on your PC (Press the Start button, and in the search field type cmd, and then press Enter). Here’s an example of how your Command Prompt window may look:

You must now change the directory to where your Fastboot files are located. As I mentioned above, mine are in the directory c:\fastboot. Therefore, I would need to type the following command in the Command Prompt window: cd c:\fastboot

The “cd” refers to “change directory,” while the rest is where your Fastboot files are located. Here’s how your Command Prompt window will look like after you’ve typed the above, and BEFORE you press the Enter key.

Here’s an example of how your Command Prompt window will appear AFTER you press the Enter key:

Next you need to type the following: fastboot flash recovery CWM.img

Renaming the file to CWM.img simplifies the above entry because this name is easy to remember.

Here’s how your Command Prompt window will appear BEFORE you press the Enter key:

Now press the Enter key and let the program run.

The entire installation/flash will take only a few seconds. When complete, your Command Prompt window will return to your fastboot directory (see image below).

Ignore the error in my image above, the line called error: cannot load ‘CWM.img’

This error message appeared ONLY because I didn’t want to install Clockworkmod Recovery on my device a second time. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Reboot your device.

DONE! You now have Clockworkmod Recovery on your phone.

These instructions are available in PDF format by clicking on the link at the end of this post.

We were all hardcore newbies at one point and while it's annoying to see them ask redundant questions or ones that have been answered in the first post of a thread, you have to have some sympathy for them. Especially when they do something like get a soft-bricked device and begin to panic.

Peter i am following your instructions to a tee but when i try to push cwm i get the same error that shows up on your screen, i am rooted and bootloader unlocked. Can someone help
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